DAVIE, Fla. -- Josh Boyer called Brian Flores over one spring evening for confirmation that this young man named Malcolm Butler from tiny West Alabama looked better than his numbers indicated.
Both were New England Patriots position coaches at the time who were in a deep search for undiscovered talent. Butler went undrafted, and nobody took a swing on him as a priority free agent. Butler's agent began looking at last-ditch NFL options. The Patriots had room for a few tryouts players to perform at their rookie minicamp. What Boyer, with help from Flores, saw on tape convinced them to give Butler one of those spots.